27 November: From 'Grey Goo' to Nanomedicine

In April 2003 Prince Charles was purported as using the expression
‘grey goo’ to describe the dangers of nanotechnology. These fears
centred around the belief that self-replication is an essential part of
the molecular manufacturing process. The idea that self-replicating
robots, smaller than viruses, will one day multiply uncontrollably and
devour our planet is now seen as science fiction. Five years on,
emerging nanotechnologies have created an unstoppable disruptive force
that will change medicine, the environment and the economy in ways we
are only starting to imagine. It is no longer about miniaturisation but
about creating structures which function at the quantum edge.